Review: This article examines the initial period in the history of the Weimar republic when the question of the first German democracy’s existence stood particularly acutely. The author’s focus is placed on those political forces and their representatives that threatened this democracy from right and left. Special attention is dedicated to the situation in the Eastern Prussian territories: Poznan, Upper Silesia, Eastern Prussia. The attitude of the authorities of Weimar Germany towards the territorial losses at the expense of Prussia is also addressed, as well as the activities of the German Freikorps and their leaders. The author indicates the reasons for the failures of the left-radical (communist) coup d’état and of the right-radical coup on Prussian territories. Additionally, the author discusses the situation in Upper Silesia, where the interests of the Social-Democratic party of Germany, representing the democratic authorities of the republic, clashed and the right- and left-radicals. The last acted within the framework of the Communist party of Upper Silesia, using the ideas of Upper Silesian separatism and Soviet organisation. They were opposed by the representatives of the Prussian officer corps, which organised the defence of the region from Poles and employing there the Freikorps.

Review: This article maintains that a model of presentation of rational knowledge from the moment of its appearance
in man inevitably took on a religious character. However, this mere fact attests to active scientific search for resolving
this fundamentally important (perhaps most important) intellectual problem. How does scientific knowledge that permits
transformation of surrounding reality emerge? At present only the search directions for this over-complicated structure are
identified. On the whole the brain perceives itself for the purpose of awareness and transformation through technologies of
surrounding reality. And as a result it undergoes changes, perfecting itself in a certain way. This most complex enclosed
intellectual and social process, whose disclosure is repelled from psycho-physiological factors, since ancient times has been
reflected in the construction of a model of the world. The elements of the model of the ancient Mayan world differ by significant
elaboration of scientific knowledge (especially mathematics and astronomy, which belongs to constant, general cosmic,
influence on the anthroposystem). Therefore they coincide with similar knowledge of the Old World. This knowledge has
both an applied, a necessary for survival, character (cyclical reproduction, social organization, agricultural and hunting
calendar), and an abstract character, pointing to the current state of developing society. Complex structures of social construction
and abstract knowledge are superimposed on a complex of perceptive-empirical ideas reflecting the development of
man’s thinking and his intellectual abilities (though externally this statement also looks like a set of “myths,” “mythological
images,” and illogicality of the space-time continuum).

A.V. Pakin.
Shiva Pilgrimage of 1536 and the
conquest of Yucatan: version of the
episode of the later Maya history
// History magazine: researches. – 2013. – ¹ 4.
– P. 428-439.
DOI: 10.7256/2222-1972.2013.4.9222.

Review: The article focuses on one of the key episodes in the history of late Yucatec Maya, the extermination of the nobility of one of the most powerful
dynasties of Yucatan Shiva by their old foes from Kokomo family. The historians of the Conquest, considered that this was the main reason that led them
to the Spanish camp and that it allowed the Spanish conquistadors to finally conquer the peninsula after the two failed attempts. In the study of this
episode, little attention was paid to the source research aspects. Existing versions contain different dates of the incident, the participants and the aim
of the pilgrimage. Analysis of the versions preserved in written early colonial sources using a simple cross-criticism shows that they actually date back to
the injured party, that is, Shiva, where the description of the event in a short time transformed into the description of the alleged embassies of Shiva to
the Spaniards, reports of which have been taken for granted by historians of the major conquest (R. Chamberlain, V.I. Gulyaev). These sources reflect
the views of the interested party. Recent studies of the sources O. Harada and T. Hillerkyussa show how easy it was for the authors to manipulate the
facts. Documents created by the Indian authors after the Conquest are written in the “loyalist” spirit and distort or do not mention the facts, which are
improper from the point of view of the morality and culture of the conquerors (such as the pagan cults). These researchers suggested that the attitude
to the Spanish conquerors did not depend on the relationship of the local rulers against the overall fragmentation of the polities of Yucatan. The fatal
nature of the episode with the extermination of pilgrims in Otsmale is exaggerated by the historians. The Shiva dynasty actively sought an alliance with
any force hostile to Kokomo, and this was one of the hidden purposes of the “pilgrimage”. The results of this study reassess some of the key episodes of the
Yucatan conquest .

Review: This work studies the influence of the Chinese civilization on the processes of forming and development of the cultures of the peoples of Parthia, Bactria,
Margu, Sogdiana and Ostrushana between II century B.C. and early XIII century A.D. In the interactions between China and the neighboring peoples, the former’s
material and spiritual cultural aspects were absorbed simultaneously, but the material culture was more obvious, and attracted greater attention from its neighbors.
This manifested in intense exchange, imitation and burrowing of cultural traits – arts, crafts, clothes, food, architecture, transport, etc.

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